University of Cape Town students cited for innovated business
(GIN)—Three female students at the University of Cape Town won intervarsity recognition as top student entrepreneurs after a two-day national final in Johannesburg recently. Among the winners was Zimbabwe-born Chido Dzinotyiwei, founder of Vambo Academy, an educational technology platform that uses digital resources to offer language learning, translation and knowledge services. “We want to democratize access to indigenous language learning and...
At the top of U.S. official’s Africa agenda: Ethiopia, Sudan and concerns about China
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent Africa visit, which included Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, appeared a lackluster response to U.S. President Biden’s talk of returning Africa to a place of prominence in Washington foreign policy. A Blinken’s speech, given during the second leg of his visit in Nigeria, was referred to as a major Africa policy speech. He said President...
‘We can’t allow our martyred countrymen to have died in vain’
The death toll from Sudan’s political uprising had reached 39 fatalities, reported a pro-democracy doctors union at Final Call press time. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese, twice in less than one week, hit streets to keep protesting a military coup by Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and call for the installation of a civilian run democratic...
Sudan minister: Return to pre-coup arrangement ‘unrealistic’
KHARTOUM, Sudan—A pro-military minister in Sudan says time is running out for the country’s deposed prime minister to agree to take a post in a military-led government after top generals seized power last month. Security forces, meanwhile, opened fire on anti-coup protesters in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman, killing at least 14 people, according to doctors....
UNESCO marks its 75th anniversary with an African spotlight
(GIN)—The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marked its 75th anniversary with a star-studded cast of artists and world leaders. Among the participants was American actor Forest Whitaker, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation since 2011. His organization, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), works jointly with UNESCO in South Sudan, Uganda and Mexico—areas affected...
U.S. hypocrisy, war in Western Sahara could ignite North Africa
The freedom struggle for Western Sahara, a state in Northwest Africa, was recently discussed by experts worried about increased violence between Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic freedom fighters and Morocco, which has occupied the country for decades. Over the past year, fighting between the kingdom of Morocco and Western Sahara has grown. Participants in the online session talked about the history...
The response to military coups in Africa remains toothless
Getting rid of incentives for military takeovers in Africa is something regional organizations like the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as well as the 55 member state African Union (AU) have not done well—and in some cases their responses have been miserable failures. The eight member state IGAD, composed of Djibouti, Eritrea,...
Kenya reopens case on woman allegedly killed by UK soldier
NAIROBI, Kenya—Police in Kenya say they are reopening the case of a local woman allegedly killed by a British soldier years ago. The country’s police inspector general, Hilary Mutyambai, announced it while urging the British government to collaborate to “conclude the case and administer justice.” Attention has returned to the death of Agnes Wanjiru after her family told British media they...
A landmark as South Africa’s ANC dips below 50 percent support
CAPE TOWN, South Africa—South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party has received less than 50 percent of votes in nationwide elections for the first time, emphatically confirming the declining popularity of the once-revered organization that was led by Nelson Mandela and freed the country from apartheid. The final results of local government elections were announced Nov. 4 and saw the...
Willing to suffer economic hardship, demonstrators have been unable to oust Sudanese military regime
Prices on the streets of Sudan have skyrocketed, and with few dollars in circulation, it’s difficult not to go without. On top of the country’s economic instability are political tensions—conditions highlighted by Sudan’s military coup and a subsequent “Million Man March” protest with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. Sudan’s economy has been and continues to be, despite the recent visit by...